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May 11: Trying to pin down what Donald Trump
thinks about abortion ...
[Chris] Matthews: "Do you believe in punishment for abortion, yes or no as a
principle?" ...
Trump: "The answer is that there has to be some form of punishment."
Matthews:
"For the woman." Trump: "Yeah, there has to be some form."
[Trump again, reversing himself]: "If Congress were to pass legislation making
abortion illegal and the federal courts upheld this legislation, or any state
were permitted to ban abortion under state and federal law, the doctor or any
other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally
responsible, not the woman. The woman is a victim in this case as is the life in
her womb."
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2016/may/11/trying-pin-down-what-donald-trump-thinks-about-abo/
The president has reinstated a contentious policy that blocks funding to
international family-planning organizations unless they agree not to promote
abortion.
This rule, known as the Mexico City policy,
blocks U.S. family-planning assistance to these groups, even if their
abortion-related activities—including information, referrals, or services—are
conducted with non-U.S. funds. Opponents to the restriction have dubbed it the
“Global Gag Rule” because it hinders communication between health-care providers
and patients ... [and] can ultimately expose women to unsafe abortions ...
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/01/mexico-city-policy/514010/
January 24: Trump's order on abortion policy A look at why a photo of Mr Trump and a
group of men making an abortion ruling has gone viral. [notice anyone
missing?]
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38729364
April 13: In a statement, Planned Parenthood
Executive Vice President Dawn Laguens called Trump's action the "latest example"
of politicians making it harder for people to access healthcare.
"Planned Parenthood strongly opposes President Trump’s willingness to undermine
millions of women’s access to birth control through the Title X family planning
program," she said.
July 26: Zimbabwe: Trump Abortion Policy
Endangers Zim Teenagers
The Donald Trump administration has left young people vulnerable to pregnancy
related complications after prohibiting organisations funded by the United
States government from supporting abortions.
This comes against high teen pregnancy and maternal mortality rates particularly
in Africa and Zimbabwe. Statistics show that at least 20,000 women are dying
every year from complications associated with abortion while more than 80,000
terminate their pregnancies illegally.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201707260803.html
August 3: Closing an HIV lifeline in Africa
... the dire impact of Trump's abortion policy
Trump’s re-introduction of the Mexico City policy ... jeopardises a wide
range of healthcare clinics in dozens of countries because family planning
advice is often bundled up with other provision.
In all, nearly $9bn (£7bn) is at stake, and hundreds of thousands of women could
be affected.
“The global gag rule, this time round, is the most expansive and the most
tragic,” says the director general of the International Planned Parenthood
Federation (IPPF), Tewodros Melesse. “It seeks to restrict the rights of
millions of women. It asks us, as a health provider, to stop providing services
[through our members] that are entirely legal, in countries where some of the
poorest women depend on them.”
https://www.africadvocacy.org/single-post/2017/08/03/Closing-an-HIV-lifeline-in-Africa-the-dire-impact-of-Trumps-abortion-crackdown
August 21: Trump Official Once Praised a
Defender of Holocaust Deniers ... Now she’s in charge of family planning policy.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump
appointed Teresa Manning, a leading anti-abortion activist, to be a deputy
assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services. The pick was
controversial because Manning, formerly a legislative analyst at the
conservative Family Research Council and a
lobbyist for the National Right to Life Committee, would be in charge of
family planning policy, even though she has questioned the efficacy of
contraception in preventing pregnancy and has said government should not play a
role in family planning. But there was one item in her résumé that did not
receive attention: She had once praised a defender of Holocaust deniers.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/08/trump-official-once-praised-a-defender-of-holocaust-deniers/
October 2: The Trump administration formally
backed a House bill Monday that would ban abortions after 20 weeks.
October 16: The Trump administration is
preventing an undocumented, pregnant teenager detained in a Brownsville refugee
shelter from getting an abortion in a policy shift with big implications for
hundreds of other pregnant, unaccompanied minors held in such shelters.
She is not the first to be stopped, according to advocates who work with
undocumented teenagers.
October 18: ... even as President Trump's
words are paying homage to pro-life values, the consequences of his
administration's actions will lead to an increase in the number of abortions in
this country.
This month, Trump ended the expansion of contraceptive coverage required by the
Affordable Care Act ... Repealing the contraception mandate robs women of the
ability to control their own lives and build their own economic power.
... rolling back the contraceptive coverage rule now allows employers and
insurers to refuse to cover contraceptive care in health insurance plans they
provide.
November 14: No, Trump-Administration
Policies Won’t Increase the Abortion Rate ... Few sexually active women who
forgo contraception cite cost or availability as the reason for doing so.
Furthermore, the new HHS policies regarding contraceptive coverage will affect
only women who work for religious employers. Additionally, the HHS’s own
analysis of sex-education curricula funded by the Obama administration’s Teen
Pregnancy Prevention Program found that only a very small percentage of programs
resulted in long-term declines in teen-pregnancy rates or teen sexual activity.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/453726/trump-administration-increase-abortion-rate-teen-pregnancy-third-way
November 23: On Wednesday, US District Judge
Lee Yeakel overturned Texas Senate Bill 8 -- which was passed earlier this year
and banned doctors from performing dilation and evacuation abortions.
January 19: Coinciding with Friday's March
for Life in Washington, President Donald Trump's administration announced new
measures to support the anti-abortion cause.
Included is a move that may allow states to cut Medicaid funding to reproductive
healthcare programs like Planned Parenthood.
“On the anniversary of the historic Women’s March, the Trump-Pence
administration makes their agenda crystal clear: They are laser-focused on using
their power to control women’s bodies and lives,” Laguens said in a statement.
“Their latest action encourages states to try to block access to care at Planned
Parenthood and control where women can go for health care. Without Planned
Parenthood, many of our patients would lose access to health care altogether —
either because there are no other providers in their community or because other
clinics cannot serve all of our patients.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/white-house-rolls-back-protections-for-planned-parenthood_us_5a62134be4b01d91b2551fa4?section=us_politics
January 26: Cecile Richards, who led Planned
Parenthood through 12 tumultuous years, is stepping down as its president.
Under her leadership, the organization gained in membership, donor support and
political clout but found itself in constant conflict with social conservatives
for its role as the leading abortion provider in the United States.
The organization provides a range of health services at clinics nationwide,
including birth control, cancer screenings and tests for
sexually transmitted diseases.
March 19: Anti-abortion clinics take First
Amendment case to Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Tuesday will wade into a charged debate on abortion that
will test the limits of the First Amendment.
Anti-abortion clinics are challenging a California law that requires them to
post notices informing women how to contact the state for information about
obtaining a state-funded procedure.
March 14: Ohio judge blocks legislation
preventing abortions in Down syndrome cases
Republican Gov. John Kasich signed the legislation into law in December of last
year, and it was scheduled to go into effect March 23. The legislation is now
blocked until a final ruling is made in the lawsuit.
In a court order granting a preliminary injunction Wednesday, Southern District
of Ohio Judge Timothy Black said that federal abortion law is "crystal clear"
that "a State may not prohibit any woman from making the ultimate decision to
terminate her pregnancy before viability."
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/14/health/court-block-ohio-abortion-down-syndrome/
March 27: The tweet is real, but
misattributed by some to Planned Parenthood as a whole, not a single affiliate
in one state. Furthermore, the context of the tweet (a Twitter “snowclone”
involving the phrase “We need a Disney Princess”) was omitted from subsequent
articles about the controversial tweet.
Planned Parenthood Keystone CEO Melissa Reed said in a statement [in part]:
Today, we joined an ongoing Twitter conversation about the kinds of princesses
people want to see in an attempt to make a point about the importance of telling
stories that challenge stigma and championing stories that too often don’t get
told. Upon reflection, we decided that the seriousness of the point we were
trying to make was not appropriate for the subject matter or context, and we
removed the tweet.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/planned-parenthood-disney-abortion/
April 10: More and more women are putting
themselves forward in the hope of increasing the number of women in legislatures
and across government. EMILY's List, the political action committee that backs
Democrats who support abortion rights, tells CNN they are actively involved in
more than 70 races featuring women right now [for the 2018 elect6ion(s)].
https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/10/politics/axe-files-emilys-list/index.html
May 18: President Donald Trump's
administration plans to propose a new rule Friday that would bar abortions at
facilities receiving federal family planning funds, according to two people
familiar with the plans -- a move aimed squarely at Planned Parenthood, which
accepts some federal money for non-abortion services.
Long sought by conservatives, the step would take the administration's push to
curtail abortions further. There are already laws in place that prevent federal
money from directly funding abortions, but groups like Planned Parenthood still
accept federal dollars for services like annual screenings and checkups.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/17/politics/trump-planned-parenthood-funds/index.html
May 20: Texas Lt. Gov. Thinks Abortion,
Video Games Show 'Culture Of Violence' That Leads To School Shootings
“We have devalued life, whether it's through abortion, whether it's the breakup
of families, through violent movies, and particularly violent video games which
now outsell movies and music,” Patrick said in response to host George
Stephanopoulos’ observation that there had been more students killed by gun
violence in schools than active duty military deaths in 2018.
http://www.newsweek.com/texas-lt-gov-dan-patrick-abortion-video-games-show-culture-violence-leads-935705
September 6: Brett Kavanaugh's views on
abortion received fresh scrutiny after leaked documents revealed President
Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee once suggested the high court could reverse
the landmark case ensuring the right to an abortion.
The email, which was previously off limits for the hearings, appeared to
undercut Kavanaugh’s attempts to sidestep one of the most sensitive issues in
his confirmation battle: whether he would provide the fifth vote to limit or
overturn Roe v. Wade. But halfway through his second and final day of
questioning from the Senate Judiciary Committee, Kavanaugh kept brushing aside
new questions about his approach to abortion.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/06/kavanaugh-leaked-documents-abortion-771591
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill that virtually outlaws abortion in the state
on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, in Montgomery, Ala. Republicans who support the
measure hope challenges to the law will be used by conservative justices on the
U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion
nationwide.
The backlash against Alabama over its passage of the country’s most restrictive
abortion law has begun with threats by Democratic officials in other states
calling for boycotts and divesting from the Yellowhammer State.
Jena Griswold, Colorado’s Democratic secretary of state, threatened to not use
the state’s tax dollars on travel to Alabama in wake of the abortion bill, which
criminalizes abortion and makes no exceptions for rape and incest.
In Maryland, the vice chairman of the state’s pension system advised system
employees not to travel to Alabama for professional purposes.
“It is my hope that this will put the 'leaders’ of Alabama, and those of other
states who may be contemplating abusing public laws for theocratic
gratification, on notice that this is, indeed, 2019,” Peter Franchot said in a
Facebook post Thursday morning. “Gratuitous attacks on the freedoms and the
well-being of women will come at a prohibitive price.”
Franchot said he would review the pension system’s holdings related to Alabama.
“This will include a full inventory of assets that are invested in Alabama-based
companies, as well as all investment managers, brokers and consultants that are
headquartered, or have regional offices in that state,;” he said. “I will ask
that this review and full inventory of business relationships be presented to
the board of trustees on an expedited basis, so that we can hopefully initiate
the process of full divestment from the state of Alabama.”
https://www.al.com/news/2019/05/alabama-abortion-ban-backlash-blue-state-lawmakers-threaten-boycotts-divestment.html
May 17: On Wednesday, Alabama outlawed nearly all abortions, with a
prison term for doctors of up to 99 years. Sponsors and supporters of the new
law are promoting it as a
challenge to Roe v. Wade. But politically, it’s a disaster. By
prohibiting abortions even for rape survivors, the law threatens to antagonize
the public and shatter the Republican base.
May 17: Previously Unreleased Poll
Shows Alabama Voters Disapprove of Extreme Abortion Ban
This could be a repeat of 2012, when extremism on abortion doomed GOP Senate
campaigns.
In 2012, Democrats expanded their majority in the Senate largely because two
Republican candidates made comments about abortion and rape that were
drastically out of step with the public opinion. In Missouri, Senate nominee
Todd Akin claimed that rape doesn’t result in pregnancy because “if it’s a
legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”
A few months later, the GOP nominee in Indiana, Richard Mourdock, described a
pregnancy resulting from rape as a “gift from God.”
Both Missouri's House and Senate voted to pass a restrictive abortion bill
prohibiting abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy. Now, leaders of both
chambers must sign paperwork and get the bill certified, before sending it to
the governor’s desk, a spokesperson for GOP Gov. Mike Parson said.
Parson, who has voiced support for the bill, has until July 14 to sign it.
However, he is expected to sign the bill in about a week.
So when does the bill take effect? The House passed an emergency
clause, meaning the abortion law will go into effect as soon as the governor
signs it, according to Trevor Fox, with Missouri House communications. Without
the clause, the bill wouldn’t have gone into effect until end of August.
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/missouri-abortion-bill/index.html
May 17:
Alabama abortion law an example of 'emboldened' GOP state houses after Kavanaugh
replaced Kennedy ...
